Check that one off the list…

CRAFT ROOM CABINETRY PHASE 1

So we just moved into a new house a few months ago…..This is my dining room turned craft room…..sadly enough I have an addiction to crafty stuff.  So when we were looking for houses, we only stepped foot in the door if our realtor promised 4-5 bedrooms PLUS a space to be used as my craft studio.  Unfortunately this space isn’t an enclosed room yet, but someday it will be.  And since it is the FIRST thing you see upon entering my house, I am working on making it “entrance worthy.”  The first thing on the list?  CABINETS!!!  Something has to store all of this junk!  So where did we head?? My favorite store in the world (well, besides Target) IKEA.

I assembled, and Mr. H (this is what his students call him—you would too if you had to try and pronounce/spell/SAY our last name) assisted me in installing J.  Really, this process is not all that difficult.  Each cabinet box goes together in about 20-30 minutes.  I assembled them all on my own (well, I did get some “help” from my 6 year old).  So far installing has not been that difficult between my husband and me, but I have to admit I would NOT want to do an entire kitchen of these. 

 Well, I guess we would if it would save us thousands (I do have my limits).

But alas, for now we don’t need a kitchen remodel, so I can knock this project off MY LIFE DIY Accomplishments—“Install kitchen cabinetry.”  CHECK.  DONE. ….er… Ok, not quite.  One of the doors was damaged when we took it out of the box.  A piece of one of the cabinet “boxes” was damaged and one bag of hinges was not complete with all of the necessary components.  We also have to install the base cabinets and the countertop and the high cabinet.  So Phase 1: Upper Cabinets is complete….er…well sort of.   Still need one upper cabinet door.  We shall see how our return/exchange experience is at IKEA.  I love that place.  Let’s see if my love affair will continue after trying to make these returns.  Unfortunately it is over an hour away so it won’t be happening today.  Ugh.

Mr. H in all his midnight glory. Since he works 2 jobs most days, this is the only time we have to work on projects!

But I can’t wait to finish!  Especially if my husband stands on a stool again flexing his sexy calf muscles and puts that Hello Kitty pencil again behind his ear. 

2 cabinets up, only 3 more to go.

My love affair with eBay

let me just tell you how much i LOVE ebay....

I ADORE ebay.

I LOVE ebay.

I WANT TO SMOOCHIE the creator of ebay (on the cheek of course).

I have made some great sales on ebay this last month and purchased some great deals.  Here's one I will share with you...

A Louis Feraud skirt I bought at Goodwill for about $1 (for my Wicked Witch of the West costume for Halloween) sold for a whopping $50!  I even scored a few extra dollars on shipping. Which is far better than LOSING money on shipping (I have learned my lesson a time or 2, or 7).

Yes, I realize only my face was green, but who really wants to paint their ENTIRE body green--it is HOT in Florida on Halloween--I was not about to wear a long sleeved shirt!

 If you are listing items on ebay, don't forget to give yourself a little wiggle room to pay for your "handling." I try to stay as close to the true cost of shipping as possible but every once in a while the shipping will bite you in the bootie and be a little more than you expected so you may lose some. You have to account in the cost of packaging, delivery confirmation plus time and gas to and from the Post Office if you are having to go there.  Obvioulsy you can't charge an arm and a leg for shipping, but if you are over by a dollar or two, you not only deserve it, you have SPENT it on packing materials and everything else.

Furniture Makeover: The Princess Chair

So my daughter's 9th birthday was this last week.  For her birthday present I bought her 2 pieces of furniture to refinish.  I started with the chair.  This chair was a bad makeover project gone terribly WRONG.  I found her at a yard sale.  Obviously the owner knew it was THAT bad because I asked how much and she said , "Uh, 50 cents."  I RAN with that chair!  Under all of that faux black, white and pink fur and laquer paint job was a beautiful antique chair just CRYING out to be refinished---perfect as the seat for my little girl's vanity.  (The vanity is the OTHER birthday piece...details on that when I finish!) 

I decided that this piece needed some TRUE love--in a soft PINK if I might add.  First I reupholstered the seat in a quilted white fabric.  I picked up this fabric for $2 at my local Wal-Mart in the fabric section. 

Our Wal-Mart has not been remodeled yet so we are LUCKY enough to still have a fabric section.  Ya'll don't even want to know how far I am from another fabric store...it would give you nightmares.  Out of this darling fabric I managed to make a pillow cover, reupholster the seat and still have some leftover for something else.  WHAT A DEAL!

Then I sanded my little heart out-- the rough patches and the dings-- and then painted the chair in a soft pale pink homemade chalk paint.  I simply cannot afford Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I have heard it is fabulous and most wonderous.  But remember?  I only have PENNIES---not $36 for a quart.  Instead I bought a gallon of contractor's paint for $10, had it tinted pink and use it for a number of girly projects.  This is my 3rd project so far from that gallon of paint and there is still more than a half of the gallon bucket left!  The black paint underneath was the perfect base for distressing.  I just LOVE how it turned out.  But the best part?  The birthday girl does too!

So this project redo had a grand total of..... $5!!  This includes even the 1/4 yard of pink fabric I bought for the roses on the pillows!  And I have some of that left too!

This is my trash to treasure story for the week...what is yours?